Courage and Conviction – Salute 33

23 days and counting… May be another 3-4 months before any ray of sunlight touches them and they meet with their loved ones… holed up 2250 feet below the earth surface… I salute the trapped 33 Chilean miners – all of them, who have been able to keep their spirits alive under these extreme circumstances and giving clear message of courage and conviction to the rest of the world…

Living example of positive attitude, collective thinking , staying together, keeping each other charged up, never giving up hope… it took 17 days even to get the first connect with the miners.. incredible show of togetherness among people from diverse background of 19 – 63 years of age..

In spite of all the technological advances that mankind has made in the last hundred years, times like these when we have to save 33 miners – where each day is critical, we fall short. Safety in mines and safe return of miners in case of any such catastrophic events should always be the most important issue. Mining is such a key part of economic growth for many countries in the world and it should be absolutely mandatory to have safe escape passage in the mines that work in hours of need. It’s preposterous to even think that this mine did not have the emergency ladder in the ventilation shaft..

Not only Chile, the entire world is with all the 33 miners – to ensure their safe returns… Governments and Organizations from around the world should work together to bring all the power on earth, be it technology, equipment, resources, funding etc to ensure that we bring back all 33 much much sooner…. 3-4 months more is simply too much in this situation.

I salute the courage, conviction, deep resolution, faith and tremendous belief that each of them have demonstrated… and what a support their family, friends and the Chilean Govt. have shown to keep their spirits going…what an example for the rest of the world… something to learn and implement… I pray to God that all of them come out safely and be reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible….